Conceptual Blending in Bollywood Film Songs
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Fatihi, A. R SACS Vol 4. No. 1 pp 19 - 26
Conceptual Blending in Bollywood Film Songs
A. R. Fatihi
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India*
Cognitive pragmatics is concerned with the mental processes involved in intentional
communication. Studies within the area of pragmatics mainly focus on the comprehension
of linguistic speech act and overlook linguistic production, or extralinguistic communication.
As far as cognitive processes are concerned, authors in this field are interested in both the
inferential chains necessary to understand a communicator’s intention, starting from the
utterance he extends, and the different mental representations underlying the
comprehension of various communicative phenomena as cognitive processes. Thus, a
theory in cognitive pragmatics aims to explain what mental processes a person actually
engages in during a communicative interaction. Nonetheless, in the last decade, other
theories have been developed. These include a far-reaching theory of the cognitive
processes underlying human communication, known as the Cognitive Pragmatics Theory
(Airenti et al., 1993a, 1993b; Bara, 005), and the Graded Salience Hypothesis (Giora, 2003), a
theory which focuses on mental inferences underlying the comprehension of literal verses
figurative language.
Airenti et al. (1993a, 1993b) presented a theory of the cognitive processes underlying
human communication, aiming to provide a unified theoretical framework for the
explanation of different communicative phenomena (Bara, 2005). The authors proposed
that their theoretical analysis holds for both linguistic and extralinguistic communication,
and thus introduced, with reference to the interlocutors, the terms ‘actor’ and ‘partner’,
instead of the classical ‘speaker’ and ‘hearer’. The theory assumes that the literal meaning of
an utterance is necessary but not sufficient to the partner in order for him or her to
reconstruct the meaning conveyed by the actor, and that in order to understand the actor’s
communicative intention, the partner has to recognise a ‘behaviour game’ the actor is
proposing for him (the partner) to play. The behaviour game is a social structure mutually
shared by the participants of the communicative interaction.
* A. R. Fatihi, Professor, Department of Linguistics, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. Email: fatihi.ar@gmail.com
19Fatihi, A. R SACS Vol 4. No. 1 pp 19 - 26
The theoretical framework of cognitive pragmatics is crucial to demystify the conceptual
integration, or blending which is viewed as a powerful, authoritative, and universal
operation in human cognition. Conceptual blending is a theory of meaning construction, in
which elements from activated knowledge structures or mental spaces are selectively
projected to a blended space. The projected elements are reassembled in the blended space
to create a new unique structure, or blend. Coulson (1997, 2001) uses as an example the
activity of “trashcan basketball” where university students vie to throw crumpled pieces of
paper into a wastebasket. This activity can be construed as a blend that activates two
knowledge structures, namely garbage disposal and basketball, and integrates elements
from these input spaces (Coulson, 2001). Blends may be developed, or elaborated,
according to the constraints of the blended space. For example, in trashcan basketball, there
may be rules that differ from either input space; players may need to be far enough away
from the trashcan to “score” a basket. This would be a property unique to the blend
(Fauconnier and Turner 2002).
Crucially, blends are connected in principled ways to their input sources, and therefore
evoke a conceptual network of several interlinked mental spaces. For example, the blend
Coorg Style Sari Wearing is a conceptual network with an input space containing knowledge
about conventional Sari, and another input space containing knowledge about skirt. Links
between the spaces or cross-space mappings connect analogous elements from each input
space, such as number of members, length and intensity of commitment, and love. Select
aspects of each space, such as the wedding ritual, tax laws, and domestic roles, are projected
into the blend to create a unique concept that may then be elaborated with emergent
properties of its own.
Blending, or the creation of a new unique structure, occurs in dynamic, everyday meaning
construction. The blending model has been used to account for specific linguistic
phenomena, such as nominal and adjectival compounds (Coulson, 1997), grammatical
constructions (Fauconnier, 1997; Fauconnier and Turner 1996), counterfactuals
(Fauconnier, 1997; Fauconnier and Turner 1998), humour (Coulson, 1996, in press) and
narrative (Oakley, 1998). Blending also occurs in the construction of meanings that become
entrenched as part of our technological or cultural heritage, including ideas such as the
computer desktop interface, complex numbers, writing, or cultural rituals. Recent research
studies in cognitive pragmatics have showcased the application of blending theory to
analyses of young children’s play (Sinha, 2005). It is argued that conceptual integration is
fundamental to the activities that define human beings, and distinguish us from other
species, such as language, science, and religion (Fauconnier and Turner 2002).
In this paper, conceptual blending is used to model the intricacies of meaning construction
in Bollywood film songs, and its usage in everyday interaction. The paper cites two diverse
20Fatihi, A. R SACS Vol 4. No. 1 pp 19 - 26
instances of film songs to unravel the mysteries of meaning constructions in film songs. An
analysis of the conceptual networks evoked by the texts of the film songs reveals the basic
cognitive operations that account for the sexual or humorous interpretation of the texts.
The analysis also demonstrates that all blends are created through a common underlying
mechanism, known as category extension. Finally, it is proposed that social and contextual
aspects of knowledge frames play an important role in the meaning construction of
conceptual blends.
The paper makes reference to Koestler’s theory of bi-association, “the perceiving of a
situation or idea … in two self-consistent but habitually incompatible frames of reference”
and also proposes “cognitive dissonance” as a way to conceive of the concept of incongruity.
Frames
Frames, which are conceived of as structures for input spaces or for blends, are one of the
fundamental tools used in blending theory. According to Fauconnier and Turner (1998), an
organising frame “provides a set of organising relations among the elements in the space”.
For example, definitions of words such as ‘Seminar’ or ‘Conference’ depend on the existence
of a frame for the organisation of academic culture in academic society. This view of frames
widely employed in psychology, artificial intelligence, and linguistics, has its roots in the
concept ‘schema’ in Gestalt psychology, where concepts are understood relationally as part
of a system. A broader view of the notion of frame used in anthropology, ethnography, and
sociology, introduced by Bateson, and further developed by Hymes and Goffman, is used to
understand “the level of abstraction at which any message is intended” (Tannen 1993: 18).
That is, “whether the activity being engaged in is joking, imitating, chatting, lecturing, or
performing a play” (Tannen 1993: 18). Goffman (1974) discusses frames as providing an
answer to the question “What is it that’s going on here?” (Goffman 1974: 25). Tannen
(1993) provides a comprehensive description of frames as basically ‘structures of
expectations’ encompassing both approaches outlined above. That is “on the basis of one’s
experience of the world in a given culture (or a combination of cultures), one organises
knowledge about the world and uses this knowledge to predict interpretations and
relationships regarding new information, events, and experiences” (Tannen 1993: 16).
A wide range of frames, as defined above by Tannen, including both knowledge about
specific word meaning, as well as cultural experiences, are essential in the cognitive
modeling of blends. In the case of trashcan basketball, semantic frames for the action of
“disposal,” as well as for the activity of “basketball”, provide background knowledge
necessary for construction of the blend. In the case of the Urdu idiomatic expression Sau
cuhe kha kar Billi chali Haj ko, general relational frames such as the sin frame, or the
wrongdoing frame, as well as specific frames for the pilgrimage, are essential for meaning
construction. In sum, frames give structure to the interpretation of events at semantic,
21Fatihi, A. R SACS Vol 4. No. 1 pp 19 - 26
interactional, relational, and even socio-cultural levels. Meaning construction in blends,
especially film song blends, recruit frames at all levels of interpretation. The analysis of the
blends below focuses especially on the role of interactional frames that define the social
meanings of the text, in the construction of meaning in two Bollywood film songs analysed
in the paper. To analyse the interactional frames in Bollywood film songs, the paper makes
use of cognitive pragmatic model, which is concerned with the mental processes involved in
intentional communication.
To elaborate it further let’s examine the film song Sakhi sayan to khubi kamat hain,
Mahangai Dayan khae jat hai. The use of Mhangai Dayan in the film song is another example
of conceptual blend. The song cited above weaves a complex blended space throughout the
song. As presented in the movie, this blend supplies its elements from at least three input
spaces, the village space, the folk song space, and the poverty and the frustration space.
These spaces are connected through an extensive network of cross mappings, or analogical
connectors that link similar elements, such as a village and a folk song mandali. The blended
space includes partial projection from each of the input spaces. The overall blend is created
by projecting the category of hunger and frustration. The participants are projected from
the village space, and their personalities are projected from the village Pipli, and farming
spaces.
The compression of elements from the different spaces results in multiple incongruities
within the blend and creates a situation. First, the extension of the folk song category to the
activity of usher evokes a strong contrast of socio-cultural values. The blend compresses a
fundamental incongruity between folk activity, which is musical, traditional, and associated
with values such as selflessness, and altruism.
Another key aspect of the blend is the extent to which the details are developed in the song.
In the blended space where the notion of Dayan Mahngai is set up, the details of the
mahangai are specified which activate cultural knowledge about the village. The expression
Dayan in the song refers to a woman in a village especially low down in the social hierarchy,
which has the supernatural power of bringing misfortune to others in village as a
practitioner of Dayan partha. Witchcraft in India is still part of the rural culture of India
where the villagers blame anything they do not understand on the most ancient Hindu
customs of tantra. In this song there is a conceptual blend of Dayan and mahangai, which
gel effectively and helps in projecting the misfortune which mehangai brings.
The conceptual blend in the song serves to strengthen the meaning construction process,
through extensive compression of the analogical connections in the blended space. Such an
approach makes it possible to better comprehend how meaning is constructed in film songs
from a cognitive perspective.
22Fatihi, A. R SACS Vol 4. No. 1 pp 19 - 26
For further elaboration, let us consider another popular Bollywood film song Munni badanm
hui Darling tere liye, Munni Jhandu Balm hui Darling tere liye.
The song presented above is a conceptual blend used in the song of the film DABANG. It is
being used in everyday interaction among film viewers, and is found humorous by the
participants in the conversation. The song is shown in a scene in a hideout of criminals. The
blend is constructed from two input spaces, a space for the general concept of “Balm”, and a
space for a highly suggestive and seductive dance sequence. As shown in the movie, select
elements are projected from each input space to create a novel conceptual blend of Jhandu
Balm and munni in the blended space. Projected from the balm space are features such as
comfort, solace, and relief, while the body movement, seductive gestures, and dance steps
space project characteristics such as sexual provocation, and teasing and sizzling effect.
What does contribute to the interpretation of this blend are the various incongruities,
contradictions, and tensions compressed within the blended space.
First, in this example, elements with socio-cultural values at opposite poles are compressed
in the blended space. This juxtaposition is strengthened by the ‘humorous’ framing of the
utterance created by the conversational context in the expressions like Shilpa sa figure and
Bebo si Ada hai mere jhatke main Filmy maza. Within this humorous frame, word processing
is valued as more colloquial, informal garnished with slang.
23Fatihi, A. R SACS Vol 4. No. 1 pp 19 - 26
The humour in this interaction is generated in part by exploiting the contrast or incongruity in
values between two spaces of Jhandu balm and Munni. The undesirable, unacceptable type of
blend, munni jhandu balm hui, is placed within the more prestigious category of word
processing. Coulson has also pointed out that contrast in social values, although difficult to
formalise, does often trigger humorous interpretation. In this way, the composition of
interactional frames in the blended space creates a tension between a traditional meaning of
“balm” and the contextual meaning of “balm”, and at the same time it licenses the audience to
laugh with the film song. The visual images of seductive film song are so powerful that it
assigns a new meaning to Jhandu balm. The traditional meaning of balm is substituted and
swapped by a new meaning “hot” which sometime extended to “angry”. The news caption of
Hindi Daily Amar Ujala of February 18, 2011 netaji badnam hue to Jhandu balm hue suggests
context aided with visuals is a reality space. It creates another layer of incongruity in
conceptual network. In other words, the blended space is counterfactual in relation to the
reality space, which perhaps serves to reinforce the overall frame of “enjoyment, pleasure, and
gratification.” Thus, the humour in Munni Jhandu Balm hui is created through multiple layers of
incongruities: compression of elements with contrasting socio-cultural values blending of
interactional frames. The blend reveals the role of conceptual and contextual aspects of the
interaction in the construction of new meaning in everyday interaction.
Finally, the counterfactual nature of the blend is also important in creating a humorous
effect. The audience is able to laugh because there is no such thing as Munni jhandu balm
hui and because, contrary to the seriousness with which Jhandu balm is portrayed, it is not
actually the central focus of the song.
Conclusion
Analysis of two film song examples of category extension based on blending theory reveals
several common features of humorous meaning construction. One key feature of the blend
is a compression of elements with clashing socio-cultural values. The role of contextual
meaning or projection of contrasting interactional frames is also crucial in humorous
meaning construction. The blends evoke a delicate balance between frames of self-
deprecation/ self-mockery and solidarity or co-membership. The blends are also in
counterfactual juxtaposition to the reality space. Thus, the theory of conceptual integration
brings to light the process of humorous meaning construction that recruits a variety of
knowledge frames, and compresses layers of incongruities to create just the right degree of
cognitive and social tension that is an essential ingredient of humour.
24Fatihi, A. R SACS Vol 4. No. 1 pp 19 - 26
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